


The unusual way of meeting

by Jonah_Smith_907



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Drama, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, hurt/ comfort;, maybe smut, past/ drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-10-02 18:10:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10224071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jonah_Smith_907/pseuds/Jonah_Smith_907
Summary: Hardy meets a young girl named Leona who ran away from home; she needs a place to stay and ends up at his house, they become friends, possible Alec/ EllieI really suck at summaries, but there's lots of drama and stuff (No, honestly: loads of drama), but not really romances...but I'm not quite sure about that...





	1. Chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> So basically Hardy and Leona get to know each other a bit, Leona tells him his story
> 
> I apologize about eventual strange grammar or spelling mistakes...I am from Germany sooo...yeah
> 
> And this is my first fanfiction ever - especially in English - so the drama parts might be a bit exaggerated or something
> 
> Gosh! My mom asked me twice now not to get lost in Doctor Who or Broadchurch or in fictional worlds in general. She's got no idea what those series mean to me. I mean it's not just some shows. It's telling stories of adventures and great friendship. I don't get lost in these worlds. They just help me to survive in the real one.

I was standing at the edge of a cliff in the sun of the late evening. I had just come to Broadchurch and now I had heard of the young boy who had been murdered a week ago. From up here I could see the white tents on the beach where they looked for any kind of hints and evidence. I saw a man coming out of one them. He wore a suit and a black coat. Even from up here I could see that his tie wasn't properly tied. Suddenly he stumbled and his hand shot up to his chest. He fell to the ground and rolled onto his back. 

I already wanted to run down and ask if he was alright or call an ambulance, when he slowly got up again and shot a look around, apparently to see if somebody had noticed the...incident. That's when he saw me, standing on the hill. We stared at each other for about a minute, until he finally turned around and left the beach. 

After a few more minutes of brooding over his behavior, I left as well. But instead of looking for a place to stay, I went to the police station. I figured that he was a member of the police if he was allowed to go into those tents. 

Indeed I only had to ask once. He seemed to be pretty famous here. Maybe he was an important person. I found him in the coffee area. He held a cup of tea in his hands. 

“DI Hardy?”, I asked. 

“Who's asking?” He turned around and immediately strained. “You were on that cliff half an hour ago.”

“Yes. Leona.” A man came in and Hardy glanced at him nervously. I fell a decision. “I saw you tripping over that giant...stone.” He raised his eyebrows. “And I was wondering if you were alright.”

“It wasn't a stone.” The foreign man looked at us with curiosity. That's when Hardy finally got the hint. “It was...erm...it was a limb. Giant. Hidden in the sand. Didn't see it.” He hemmed quietly and all of a sudden asked: “Do you want some coffee? Not here of course. I'm going home afterwards anyway.”

“Yes, sure.” I followed him outside and down the street until we reached a bench with view to the ocean. We sat down.

“What do you want?” He sounded nervous, nearly afraid. 

“What do you mean by that?”, I wondered. “I just wanted to make sure that you are alright, still breathing and not laying dead somewhere in a corner.” The sarcasm was strong with that one.

“Nobody has to know that! Do you understand?! I'll give you what you want, but you mustn't tell anyone!”

I nodded in confusion but I took my chance. He wasn't going to believe me anyway. “I'd need a place to stay. I have neither money, nor a job.”  
I think the face he made is called 'confused sheep with a hint of an annoyed wolf'. 

“Are you serious?!”, he snapped. “You want to stay at my house?!”

“Well, you said you'd give me anything and I need a place to stay. I mean I wouldn't have told anyone anyway but you won't believe me.” I took a deep breath and then came up with a truth that had to convince him. I didn't want to hide such a big secret from him. “I'm sorta homeless.”

“What does that mean? 'sort of'? How old are you even?” 

“I'm 17. I ran away from home and if you touch me, I'm going to take the next chance and drown you in the ocean.” 

My threat with ice cold voice clearly made him uncomfortable, but then, finally, he nodded. “It has never been my intention to touch or hurt you in any way. I lock such guys away.” His voice was soft now. For some reason he seemed to try to calm me down. I liked him. Somehow. I mean he was grumpy and a bit rude, but in this moment he revealed a tiny part of his inner self. 

“Fine.” I let out a small sigh and then smiled at him, as if nothing was wrong. “Can I stay?”

“Yes.” His eyes were now full of concern and a little bit irritation, but mostly there was something else, something I couldn't discern.

 

We walked to his little house at the water. I liked it, it was blue and small and comfortable. 

“You sleep on the couch.”, Hardy said. I nodded. “You don't ask stupid questions and you don't make a mess in here while I'm gone.”

“Yes, Sir.”, I joked. He was not amused. I sighed and said: “I'll start looking for a job tomorrow.”

“Good. Maybe Becca takes you. She owns the Traders hotel and probably needs some help. Or the press.”, he offered.

“I don't like the press.”, I immediately shot back. “Too obtrusive.”

“Yeah. Always causing trouble.” He seemed honestly angry, but I didn't dare asking for the reason. I didn't have to; he kept talking: “They spread something nobody had to know. Because of them a man committed suicide.” 

I remained silent. God, I hated medias. I didn't know what else to do, so I looked at my watch. It was 9 pm already. Hardy looked tired. I waited until he had prepared my so called 'bed' – also known as couch – and then spoke up: “You look tired. You should go to bed if you have so much work to do.”

He shot an unreadable look at me but nodded in agreement. He went to the bathroom and returned in sweatpants and a t-shirt. Without saying good night he went straight to bed and covered his body with his blanket. I pretended to be asleep as well because I didn't want him to freak out, but I couldn't sleep. If I was lucky I could sleep one to two hours a night. This obviously wasn't such a night. As always I put out my phone, listened to some music over my headset and stared at the dark ceiling, following random patterns with my eyes.

 

It was maybe two hours later, when I heard a noise. I turned off the music and listened carefully. There was is again! I got up and tried to find the source of it. I carefully went to the corner where Hardy's bed stood. He moved under his blanket and groaned loudly. He seemed to be dreaming but apparently it wasn't a good dream. I wondered if I should wake him up, but I didn't have to: he suddenly jumped awake and crawled into a sitting position, leaning on his elbows. He didn't discern me right away, but then he let himself fall back onto his back and asked annoyed: “What the hell are you doing?!”

“I...I heard you making loud noises in your sleep.”, I replied sheepishly.

“Oh. Did I wake you up?” His tone immediately went from rude to concerned. 

“No. Not exactly.”, I reassured him. “I wasn't asleep yet.”

“It is 3am in the morning, Leona!” He judged me. I could feel it. “Why would you...?”

“I've got my reasons. Stop asking.” Now I was the rude one and I knew it but my defense system prevented me from being nice. I turned around, went outside the door and sat down in front of the water. Hardy followed me a few minutes later, carrying a blanket. He sat down and wrapped it around my shivering shoulders. I offered it to him by holding my arm up and he thankfully took the offer. We stared at the small waves for a while.

“Do you...want to talk about it?”. He then asked quietly. It was obvious that he referred to my backstory. 

“I...do not know.”, I said uncertain.

“You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to.” He smiled his sad little smiled. “But I'd really like to know why you ran.”

I nodded. I felt safe. He was nice. Trustworthy. I began to speak: “I used to live in London. My mother died two years ago and left my Dad and me alone in a small flat.” I could feel Hardy's body tension, but I didn't stop. I couldn't . Not now that I had started. “It was...fine. At first. We got along quite good even though he was very depressed sometimes. That's also when he started drinking. Secretly. It was half a year after mom's death when he came for me for the first time. He thought I'd be my mother and he wanted to do...things. I refused. He beat me. Hard. Then he cried and left. And I felt sorry for him. A few weeks later he came again. But I couldn't refuse this time. He was too strong. I cried out for help but nobody heard me. Us. He um...well he did it. And afterwards he cried again. And he apologized. And I forgave him but he had to promise me that he would quit drinking. It worked out fine for three months. Then he relapsed and it started again. But I always locked my door in more than just one way. That worked for another two months. Then he raped me when I came home from school one day. He wasn't even drunk at that point. I ran the same night. Took some clothes and money and the first bus out of London. Didn't stop for almost a year now.”

I hadn't noticed that I had started crying until Hardy gave me a tissue. I silently wiped away the tears.

“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.” His voice broke. He sounded shocked and didn't seem to know what to do. So he just asked: “Would you care for a hug?”

I quietly leaned over and relaxed sobbing into his arms. He rested his chin on top of my head and held me tight, soothing me by gently rubbing circles into my back. I suddenly realized that he was the first person in nearly a year to hug me. He'd probably also be the last one for a long time. I couldn't stand touching anyone else. Even if it wasn't on purpose. 

“It wasn't you fault.” Why did he sound so sad??

“I know.”, I replied. My answer seemed to surprise him but he remained silent. I still hadn't stopped crying. 

It might sound very unlikely, but I hadn't cried since my father's last inroad. But now I did. I let out all the tears I had held back for so long. And it felt good. Relieving. I felt my mind drifting off into sleep. And for the first time I didn't fight it. I wasn't afraid of eventual nightmares that might show up. I was safe.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellie gets introduced a bit and there's lots of normal talking. More or less.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had my trouble writing this. I am not exactly an expert with happy scenes...

The sun was shining through the open window when I woke up the next morning. I yawned loudly and sat up. I wondered how I got here. On the table next to the couch laid a note, telling me that Hardy was already off for work and that I could call or come to the police station if I needed anything. I took a look at my watch. 9am. I couldn't help but smiling. That was longer than I had slept in a long time. It felt nice, not being so tired that I could barely keep my eyes open.

I got up and went outside. It was warm but very windy so I put on a hat and then walked through the town, finding my way to the Trader's hotel. Alec had been right: the curator, Becca, needed some help, indeed. She seemed to be pretty happy that I . Didn't even hesitate to hire me.   
My tasks also contained running the bar. I didn't have much to do, but I had a nice talk with some priest who seemed to come here pretty often. Although he just drank orange juice. Talking with him felt nice. Even though he mentioned god a few times too often, but I didn't say anything. He didn't need to know that I didn't like his god very much. 

Becca allowed me to leave my shift early today, considering that this was my first day and there were not many customers to take care of. I didn't quite know what to do next, so I just called Hardy. That's when I first noticed that I didn't even know his name. I would ask him.

“DI Hardy, what's the matter!” He sounded stressed and really pissed off. 

“Hi, this is Leona. I wanted to ask if maybe you want to have lunch with me.”

“Sure, I'd like that, I guess. Gotta get outta here for a few minutes anyway.” His scottish accent was strong with this one. 

“Fine then, see you at the police station in ten.”, I grinned.

 

When I arrived, Hardy was nowhere to be seen yet, so I decided to go inside and look for him. I went upstairs and found him in his office. In front of him stood a woman with short brown hair. She yelled at him: “Stop being such a bloody wanker!”

“Fine!”, he shouted back. Other officers outside seemed to be very interested in their work. The Hardy saw me and immediately calmed down a bit. Well, at least he tried to do so. “Hello, Leona.”

I smiled shyly. “I didn't mean to interrupt...I can wait outside if you want.”

“No, it's fine. We can leave now.” He shot an angry look at the woman, grabbed his coat and led me out of the office by holding my hand and hauling me outside. 

“Who was that? What was going on?”, I asked curiously without letting go of his hand. He frowned in confusion but didn't resist it.

“My colleague, DS Ellie Miller.” He sighed. “She hates me. Everybody does.”

“Well, as far as I can tell, are you pretty grumpy and – don't get me wrong – rude to almost everyone. Except me, apparently. Maybe it would be helpful, if you were a little bit nicer. Don't you think?” I gently squeezed his hand.

“No.”, came the dry reply, but he nearly smiled. “I was just a bit...upset. Newspaper.” He held up the paper he was carrying since we had left his office. “Says lots of rubbish.”

“Never believe the News. Never trust 'em.”, I said. “I went to the police once, you know. They didn't believe me because I was 'too calm'.” I could feel the anger starting to burn in my chest. 

“Some journalist found out and wrote such rubbish!” My voice grew louder, but I couldn't help it. 

“They said I'd just be asking for attention and be trying to bring an innocent man to jail.”

“Bastards.” Now he was the one to squeeze my hand. “They called me 'the worst cop in Britain'.” 

“Must be hard. Especially when all your colleagues read the article.” I smiled at him. “So, where do you wanna go? What about Fish 'n Chips?”

“I'm not allowed to eat fish.”, he answered. 

“Well then, bad luck, I'd say. Buy some chips if you want, but I want fish.”

“You are way to cheeky.”, he laughed. Well it was more like a giggle. But he agreed and ten minutes later we sat down on a bench. We looked at the angry waves and ate our food in silence. 

“What's even your first name?”, I suddenly asked.

“What?? I...doesn't matter.”

“Oh come on! It can't be that bad.”

A phone call saved him.

He sighed and picked up. “Yes, please? This is Hardy here.”

“What's wrong with you? Never been this polite before.”, I heard a woman's voice.

“Oh, hi Millah. What's the matter?” 

“Oh for god's sake! Will you stop calling me Miller?! My name's Ellie.”

“No. Now tell me what you've got for me.” He annoyed ran his hand through his hair.

“We might have a new hint. You done flirting with that girl?”

“I was not – stop laughing Leona! - I was not flirting with her! She just needs a place to stay and it's none of your business!” He shot a naughty view at me, but I just couldn't help but bursting into laughter. “Gosh!” He hung up and stood up. “You go home or something!” He pointed at me but I couldn't even move. I was simply laughing too hard. “Would you...would you please stop laughing? I don't see what's so funny.” I knew he was amused too: he was grinning like a stupid little child. I even started crying now and he finally decided to help me up. 

I slowly calmed down and said: “I want to meet this Ellie. Seems to be nice.” I grinned.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of drama

We went back to the police station. Hardy didn't want me to come with him, but I refused to listen to him and went inside right after him. He went to his office – I followed him – and talked to Ellie for a minute. I waited until they were finished with talking and Ellie came out. She looked at me and smiled friendly.

“You are Leona then.”, she said. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too.”, I replied. I took the hand she offered to me and shook it. 

“So where are you from, dear?”, she asked.

I saw how Hardy glanced at me but answered calm: “London. I lived in London.”

“Great change, huh? From a big city to a little town.” Again she smiled.

“Yeah, well...I like it.” I could already see how she wanted to ask more questions but I didn't want to tell her. About anything. So I just kept talking: “So, do you already know who did it?”

“Well, no. But we're working on it. We follow every little hint.”

“Good.” Silence fell between us. 

“Millah!” That was Hardy who shouted out of his office.

She winked at me and went back inside again. I took my chance and left the building. I just wrote a short message to Hardy, saying something like 

'see you at yours, will be outside a bit,  
Leona.'

I didn't want to talk to anyone right now. It's been a good day until now and I didn't want that anyone destroyed it by asking improper questions. So I just went to the beach and sat down in the cool sand. 

The wind was pulling at my hair and taking my breath out of my mouth. The waves were huge and angry today, loudly braking on the sand.   
It was beautiful. 

I stared at the wild nature and thought about the last two days. I went from homeless, lonely and scared to living in a house with a friend – I guess that's what Hardy and me were called...after one day and very emotional night – who cared about me and believed me. It was good feeling, to meet somebody who didn't call me a liar. I even caught myself thinking about the little blue house as 'home'. I just felt like it. The difference was just that here I was safe.  
I smiled to myself.

 

It was about 7pm when I went back to Hardy's. He was already waiting in front of the door for me and was obviously relived when he saw me. 

“I texted you.”, he said. “I was worried when you didn't answer.”

“You did?”, I asked confused. “Didn't notice.” 

“Where were you anyway?”

“On the beach. Watching the waves.”

He smiled and went back inside. I followed him and was a bit surprised when I saw Ellie sitting on the sofa. She waved at me. I waved back.

“What are you doing here?”, I asked. 

“Oh we're just working through the case a bit more.”, she answered. 

“I still think she's just here to annoy me.”

“Nob.”

“You see?!” He went to the kitchen and prepared some water in a tea pot. “Anyone else a tea?”

“Yes, please.” I yawned. “But only if it's not black tea.”

“I don't drink black tea. Tastes horrible.”

“Totally.” I grinned. 

“I want nothing.”, Ellie suddenly said.

I sat down next to her and looked at the files. “Looks like lots of work.”

“It is.”, she replied. “But now you gotta answer me a question.”

“Depends on the questions.” I immediately shut down. 

“What is it with you and Alec? You a couple or what?”

“Ooh, so his name's Alec?!” I grinned. “No we are nothing like that. I guess we are just...friends. He helped me.”

“You didn't even know his name?!”

“He wouldn't tell me.”

“Well he hates that name.” She deliberated for a second and then asked carefully: “What did he help you with?”

“Oh we just...um..we just talked.”, I shunned. 

“About what?” She didn't seem to notice how uncomfortable this subject made me feel.

“No offense, but this is non of you business.”, I shot back. I didn't wait for any reaction of hers, got up and went, to help Hard- Alec with the tea. He was already finished. 

 

One hour later, when Ellie had left, Alec went to the bathroom and got changed, while I tried to figure out if I could sleep tonight. According to the incredible high number of yawns in two minutes, I guessed it should go well. But there it was again: fear. Of the nightmares. I was scared that they might come back again. One night without them didn't mean anything. 

“Good night, Leona.” 

I looked up and saw that he was already laying in his bed. “Night.” I watched him falling asleep, his chest raising and falling steadily. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Surprisingly it didn't take too long until I doze off. 

Cold hands. Cold disgusting hands on my breasts and between my legs. I scream. I scream so loud but nobody hears me. He just gets rougher, holding my mouth shut. I struggle underneath him, trying to come free. But he won't let me go. He is not even drunk. He looks into my eyes and I can see it. His desire. For me. His daughter.   
He pulls my shirt above my head and giggles when he sees my naked chest. I don't want his hands down there! They wander down my stomach and into my pants, opening my trousers. He pulls them off as well and positions himself between my wide spread legs. I try to get him off of me, but he's to strong! I can feel is fingers inside me and a loud cry escapes my throat.   
I do not want this! Get off! Leave me alone! Please! 

I woke up panting and covered in sweat. I could still feel his hands. So cold.   
I slowly got up and looked to Alec. I suddenly went to his bed, lifted the blanket and crawled next to him. He shortly opened his eyes and looked at me in confusion, but I laid his arm around my waist showing him what to do. He gently pulled me closer and held me tight. I slowly calmed down and softly stroked his hand, lost in thought.

“You should try to sleep again.”, he suddenly whispered, his voice thick with sleep.

“I'm scared.” It took me a lot to admit this. “Of the nightmares.”

“I'll wake you up. I can protect you. You are safe.” Again he pulled me closer and pressed a soft kiss into my hair.   
I let out a relieved sigh and relaxed a bit. I took his hand – the one my head was laying on – and held it tight. I then closed my eyes again and tried to go back to sleep. 

 

It was a few hours later; maybe 5am; when I woke up again. I didn't know what had waken me at first, but then I turned around and saw that Alec was shaking hard. His eyes were moving under his lids and he seemed to say something I couldn't understand. I fell a decision and shook his shoulder.

“Wake up!”

He suddenly jumped awake and crawled into a sitting position. He was panting heavily. He leaned over to his nightstand and swallowed two white pills. I had no idea what their use was. 

“Are you alright?”, I quietly asked. 

“Just...nightmare.” Breathing seemed difficult for him. 

I could see that his eyes were moist. I slowly slipped closer and pulled him into a tight hug. 

“It's alright. You told me I was safe with you, remember? You are also safe with me.” I gently stroked his back and tried to sooth him. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“Believe me, it can be very relieving.”, I reassured him. 

At first we sat there in silence for a few minutes, but then he sat up and spoke up: “There was...this case. Back in Sandbrook. Two you girls, cousins, went missing. And I found the younger one, Pippa. She laid in a river and I...I wanted to save her. I thought that if maybe, I could just get her out of the water then I might safe her. I nearly drowned.” He took a shaky breath. “We never found the older girl, Lisa. But the we found an important evidence. A pendant from Pippa. It was in the car of our main suspect. But someone stole it while my wife – and concurrently my colleague – was screwing around in a hotel. Somebody broke into her car and stole everything.” Tears streamed down his face. “I took the guilt. For my daughter's sake. My wife would have lost her job and I nearly died when I found out anyway – Heart Arrhythmia, you know – and I thought I wouldn't live very long any more. I didn't want my daughter; her name's Daisy; to have to live with a woman she hates. But now I'm still alive, Daisy hasn't spoken to me in two years and I'm still dreaming of drowning.” He looked tired. Beaten. “But I haven't given up yet! I can still solve the case! I have to finish this case!”

“You will.” I couldn't think of more to say. I was touched. He took the whole guilt for something he didn't do. He was haunted by nightmare – just like me. It wasn't very surprising that he was grumpy all the time. I guess I could finally understand why he thought that everyone hated him. Because in his old town...they did. 

He laid his head on his knees, openly sobbing now. Again I hugged him, pulled him close. I bet he hadn't have a hug in a long time. 

We sat there for a long time. Alec had calmed down meanwhile and now I rested my head on his shoulder. 

“You know what?”, I suddenly asked. “We are both really pretty messed up, right? But we will figure it out. We are going to be alright and if you say otherwise, I'm gonna punch you in the face.”

He actually let out a short laughter. “Deal.”

I yawned, got up and went to the bathroom. Before entering it, I turned around once more and said: “When I'm back, you are dressed properly and making tea!”

“You are not my mother!”

“No, but I'm the one who will bring you to your feet again without braking apart.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hardy is in hosptial because of a collapse, Ellie gets involved, there's again lots of drama and stuff and he finally tells her about the Sandbrook case.

I was sitting on a bench at the beach when my phone ringed. It was late, maybe 11pm already. Alec had told me that he'd not come home tonight so I had gone for a walk.  
I picked up: “Yes? This is Leona speaking.”

“This is Broadchurch hospital.”, a woman said. “Your number was the only one we found in Alec Hardy's wallet. There was an incident which caused him to collapse.”

“I'm on my way.” I hung up without waiting for an answer and hurried to the hospital. When I entered his room, Alec was asleep. He looked pale and vulnerable. Next to him sat Ellie Miller. When I came in, she looked at me with worry. I already wanted to say something, but Hardy was slowly waking up. I knew because his hand twitched several times and his eyes moved under his lids. 

He had barely opened his eyes, when Ellie slapped his shoulder and said: “Heart Arrhythmia! You should have told me!”

“ 'M sorry, Millah.” He took a shaky breath. “Won't happen again.”

“Oh, don't be silly!”

“Please! Don't tell the chief! I wanna finish the case. I need to finish this case!”

“You could have died.” She was angry. 

“And what difference would that have made?” He sounded tired, powerless. He sighed.

“Would someone please tell me what the hell happened??”, I asked. 

“We were chasing someone. Most likely the killer of Danny. He -” She pointed at Hardy “He collapsed and nearly died on me!! He nearly died!”

“And why are you angry then?” Now I was the one who got angry. “I don't think that's gonna help him getting healthy again!”

“Girls...” We ignored his quiet beg. 

“Because I was afraid!”, she shot back. “If I hadn't been there, he'd be dead now! He should have told me!”

“Yes, maybe he should have, but don't you think he's got a good reason, not to tell you?”

“Are you saying, you knew?!”

“Yes. And he really doesn't need more accuses or angry colleagues that blame him for being seriously ill and keeping it a secret.” I smiled at her. “He needs a friend.”

“Bloody wankers!” She went, to leave the room, but then she turned around once more. “I'm going to give you a ride home, this evening. You will not return to work today, and you will go and see a doctor! They've got to be able to fix this.”

Hardy just nodded. I sat down next to him and stroked his arm. “Thank you.”, he said. His voice was weak and scratchy. 

“I just told her the truth. Of course you will have to tell her the whole story soon, but I thought it'd be better for you if somebody would just care about you and not hide it.” I sighed. “I'll go and ask the doctor for an appointment. You've got to have this surgery.”

“I don't want to!” He sounded rough, but I could hear his fear. 

“If you keep doing the way you are, how long do you think you will keep living?!”, I asked angrily. “You heart doesn't get better by going into cardiac arrest and you know that! And now stop complaining and refusing help! You will have the surgery!”

I simply ignored him when he wanted to object and went to make the appointment. 

 

“Stop being an idiot and go to bed! Bloody wanker!” Ellie sounded like some angry bird, but she braced him very carefully, getting slower as soon as he did and tightening her grip around his waist when he stumbled. Even if he'd never admit it, did he feel weak and tired and all he wanted to do was sleeping. 

Ellie pushed him down on his bed and told him not to move until he drank a good cup of tea. He really wanted to do her the favour. But he just couldn't help but laying down. As soon as his head touched the pillow, he was asleep. He looked so small. Vulnerable. But also somehow peaceful. 

Ellie looked back and found him fast asleep. She smiled amused, laid his legs on the mattress as well and put a blanket over him. He moved a bit, gripped the blanket at buried his face in it. It looked as if he'd try to hide, to escape reality. 

I made tea. When Ellie came back from Alec's bed, she sat down next to me on the sofa and took the cup I offered her. 

“He is sleeping now. Told him to drink some tea first, though.”, she said.

I smiled. “He looks adorable when he sleeps, doesn't he?”

She chuckled. “Yes, he does. So innocent. Not all that grumpy. Didn't even know he could make a different face than that. I've only seen it once before and that was when he was with you. When you came to his office and you went out for lunch. He actually nearly smiled when he saw you.” I smiled when I heard this. It felt good to be the reason for somebody else to smile. “And you really don't have an affair?” She looked curious, maybe a bit jealous even. 

I laughed. “No. He's more like...I guess you could say he's become like a brother to me. You see I saw him fainting on the beach a few days back and he thought I'd blackmail him. Well and I needed a place to stay without having any money. So I said that I'd like to stay here. It took him a while until he realized that I'd never blackmail him.” I glanced at Ellie. “We are just friends. Really.”

“And he told you about his Heart Arrhythmia.” It wasn't a question. More like an accuse. 

I nodded. “Story for story. I talked first.”

Thankfully she didn't ask further. Instead she winked at me. “My husband's taking care of my children so I can stay. Not leaving him alone with a child. No offense, though.”

“Nah, it's fine. But if it's okay with you, I'd like to sleep with him in his bed...I erm...” I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. “It's the only way I can sleep. At the moment.”

Ellie grinned. “It's fine. I wouldn't want to sleep with him in the same bed anyway. Wake me up if he shows any sign of a heart attack. Or whatever it's called.”

“I will.” I smiled shyly, went to Alec and slipped under the blanket. He wrapped his arm around my waist without waking up. I sighed and closed my eyes. 

Ellie looked at the young girl and the sick man. They really did look like brother and sister. Somehow. She smiled. She never would have thought that her boss could ever look this peaceful.  
She laid down on the couch and fell asleep soon after. 

 

“Hey! Hey, wake up!” I gently shook his shoulder, trying to free him from his nightmare. He didn't react. He was mumbling and his hands clutched to the sheets. His breath hitched, his pulse raving. He gasped for air, but still refused to wake up.

Suddenly Ellie came in, looking at us. She seemed scared by this view, but then she reached out for him and slapped him. 

It worked. He startled, opened his eyes and immediately rolled to his side, choking and coughing. He fell back to his back, panting heavily. I could see panic in his eyes. He didn't seem to recognize neither me nor Ellie. 

“Calm down!”, she said, voice surprisingly soft. “It was just a nightmare. You are awake now. Everything is fine.”

After another minute of nearly hyperventilating, he finally let out a long sigh, sat up and buried his face in his hands. “Sorry.” His voice was quiet and scratchy and shaky. 

“It's alright.” I reached out for him, but he flinched and got up. This move hurt more than it should have, but I decided that he just needed his space at the moment. His Pjs were covered in sweat. He didn't care about us, ripped his shirt off and climbed out of his trousers. He wore boxers underneath. He went do the bathroom, grabbing another pair of boxers and a fresh shirt. He staid in there for about ten minutes and Ellie and I got already worried, but then he exited the bathroom. He looked like shit. Apparently he had washed his face and dried himself off, but his eyes were red and his lips swollen. He glanced at Ellie, obviously concerned about her seeing him like this, but she just smiled at him, encouraging. 

He took a shaky breath. His eyes were already filled with tears again. I made small step towards him and he gratefully took the offer, rushing into my arms, now burying his face in my shoulder, clutching to my shirt and sobbing hard. I gently stroked his hair and rubbed circles into his back. He calmed soon. 

“Was it the river again?” I asked when he finally broke loose. 

He nodded and then turned to Ellie. “I'm sorry that you had to see me like this it was -”

“It's alright. Just tell me the reason for it. It can't be normal that you nearly suffocate in your sleep.” She smiled.

He sighed and looked at me, searching for help. I shrugged. He groaned in frustration and sat down on the sofa. “It's because of the Sandbrook case. The one I failed, remember?” She nodded. “Well. I didn't fail it.”

She looked at him rather confused and I poked him in the ribs. He sighed and then started talking. Ellie looked sadder and angrier, the longer he spoke. When he finally ended, she took his hand and rubbed her fingers soothing over his skin. “You could have told me earlier.”

“I...maybe. But I didn't want you to see me this...weak.” He ducked his head in shame. 

She chucked gently. “You are not weak, you nob. You are probably one of the strongest persons I've ever known. And I like you the way you are. But it would help if you weren't that grumpy all the time any more, you know.” She squeezed his hand.

He smiled. There was something in his eyes, that hadn't been there in a long time before. I hadn't seen it ever. But it looked...nice. Warm.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> eight months after the last chapter.

“Have you got any idea, how hard it can be to prove yourself in front of all those old officers??”, I asked, storming into Ellie's house.

Hardy grinned. “Did they send you to play the traffic warden again?”

I nodded. “I've been working there for nearly five months now and while you and Ellie do...whatever the hell you are doing, I am working ten hours the day, without getting any kind of credit.” I sighed in frustration. I didn't imagine police work like this...boring.

“It's not all about chasing murderers, you know. And you should be glad that they took you in the first place. I mean...you are young, you didn't finish school.”

“I am very grateful for what you've done. Really.” I smiled. He had told them that he'd destroy all their lives if they didn't take me. I guess they had bad memories of him as detective inspector, so they did him the favour. “I just hope they stop looking at me like a little girl. I nothing but little. Not any more.”

“I know.” I think he wanted to add something else, but Tom chose this exact moment to enter the room, carrying Fred. He handed the toddler to Alec without saying a word. 

It hadn't been easy for him with me and Hardy moving into his house six months ago, two months after that night in Alec's house, but he'd gotten used to it. It had been only two weeks later when they found out that Joe was the killer of Danny. Of course everyone was in shock and Ellie had had some rough time to go through, but I think Alec had helped her a lot. It was better now. 

Alec took the little boy, smiling widely at him and sitting him on his lap. He screamed in pleasure, laughing and playing with Alec's beard. He really did love the man. Nobody knew why, though.

“Hello, wee Fred.”, he said. Fred grinned. “Was it nice on the playground? I hope you defeated him everywhere.” He chuckled and winked at the older boy, who seemed to be forcing himself to keep a straight look. “Hmm, I guess you are hungry now, aren't you?”

“Awec eat!”, the little one ordered. 

Alec stood up and took Fred by his hand. He wasn't allowed to carry heavy things within the first few months after surgery, but he looked clearly better than before. Not long after he and Ellie had finished Danny's case, they had also solved the Sandbrook case. And now he was slowly getting better, like a flower after a very long storm. 

They went to the kitchen, Alec made some food. I went to Tom and smiled. “Hey.” I was still pretty bad with children. I could handle Tom quite well after the first few weeks here, but Fred was impossible. I never knew what to do. “Do you wanna play some football?”, I asked. This was easier. He nodded. He knew exactly that I sucked at football. He tried to teach me, though. Not that it worked. But it was funny. 

In the evening Ellie came home. She looked good. Her hair was longer now, her eyes happy again and kind. I remember their first kiss. Of her and Alec. We had been sitting on a bench at the beach, looking at the water. It had been quite romantic, actually. And she had rested her head on his shoulder, when he had turned his head and pressed a soft kiss of her forehead. Hadn't taken them long until they had been necking hard. I hadn't said anything but just left. They had come home suspiciously late. 

“I'm home.”, she shouted into the house. Alec immediately went to her and kissed her, a happy smile on his lips. 

Tom ignored them and complained: “Can you cook something nice? Leona just burns everything and the only thing Alec is able to cook is salad. I hate salad.”

“Sure, honey.” She laughed. 

It was nice. Being part of this family. When Alec and Ellie had decided to move into her house together, I hadn't been sure of what I should do. But they hadn't even given me a choice but just took me with them. 

I guess I am now some sort of big sister for Tom and maybe even something like a daughter for Alec. Well, that's what he treated me like. Of course his biological daughter had visited us before, but we soon became friends and she didn't seem to have a problem with me. In this context.   
And Ellie...well for her I was just a friend, I guess. Or maybe more something like a cousin than a daughter. 

But I didn't care that I didn't share any blood with any of them. They were my family. All of them. Alec, Ellie, Tom, Fred and even Daisy. And they never gave me any reason to think that I wasn't part of theirs. 

And I was happy. For the first time in a long time. And so was Alec. He looked good, smiling so often. And he was a really great dad. 

I think in some way I loved him. All of them. But especially him. I don't know why, though. Maybe because we both had a terrible life for a few years. It wouldn't be fair to say that it wasn't as bad as Ellie's, but our suffer...it took so long. Without nobody knowing or helping us. And then we found each other. I think I saw him as my dad more than I had seen my birth father. 

And I liked it. I was safe. I was happy. 

I was home.


End file.
